A global risk management expert and process safety expert with nearly 40 years of experience across utilities, oil and gas, mining, and maritime sectors. Founder of an international safety and risk consultancy that scaled to over 100 staff across three continents. Recognized for advising multinational organizations on enterprise risk, catastrophic hazard management, and safety management systems, including court‑appointed oversight and expert witness roles in major accident litigation.
Helped many of the world’s largest multinational companies solve challenging safety and risk management problems by developing practical solutions.
Operated around the globe and has a good understanding of legislative regimes and cultures in many countries.
Is known for being analytical and a producer having years of experience writing safety cases, policies, procedures, and almost all elements of a safety management system. Auditing is also a strength.
One of the defining engagements was acting as BP’s testifying expert in areas of risk management for the Deepwater Horizon litigations – the world’s largest at that time. This engagement lasted for over five years.
From 2017 to 2022 acted as a member of the United States Federal Court-appointed Monitor team, overseeing many aspects of risk at Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). The Monitor was appointed as part of the sentence the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion.
Started at Shell in 1985 and has subsequently worked around the world as a safety and risk consultant for companies such as, Shell, BP, ExxonMobil the Royal Australian Navy, Minara Resources, Pacific Gas & Electric (California utility), BHP, Sinopec Offshore Oilfield Services Company (SOOSC), Stena Drilling, Schlumberger, Glencore, Chevron, and Woodside.
Lectured on safety and risk management at the University of Western Australia as part of a master’s of oil and gas engineering program.
Developed and conducted numerous risk management training courses for organizations like BHPBilliton, Seadrill, Royal Australian Navy, McDermott, Shell, Hess, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron.
International experience includes Australia, Peru, Zambia, Brazil, China, Bolivia, DRC, Egypt, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mozambique, Norway, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, UK, USA.
Education and Certifications Background
- Sc. (Hons) Mechanical Engineering, University of Surrey; Guildford, Surrey, UK
- Stanford Graduate School of Business – Executive Program
- MBA – Accounting and Economics (Henley Business School)
- Chartered Professional Engineer, Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Professional Experience
- BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Testifying Expert Process Safety/Catastrophic Hazard Management – 2010 to 2015
Acted as a testifying expert (commonly referred to as an expert witness) on behalf of BP/leadership in two cases associated with the Deepwater Horizon blowout, addressing process safety, risk management and emergency preparedness/response.
Firstly, with the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, for BP in MDL-2179 Oil Spill by the Oil Rig “Deepwater Horizon,” which was aimed at establishing the causes, allocation of fault, and Clean Water Act penalty associated with the accident. Mr. Burch was one of the only experts to have submitted expert reports and to have given a deposition in each of the three phases of the trial.
Secondly, in MDL-2185 BP p.l.c. Securities Litigation, worked with the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to respond to issues raised in expert reports filed by the plaintiffs.
- ConocoPhillips, Australia Pacific Liquefied Natural Gas (APLNG) - Safety Cases and ALARP Demonstration, Queensland, Australia - 2012 to 2015
APLNG is a major project that includes a Liquefied Natural Gas plant on Curtis Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. This project required a range of risk management services including risk identification and mitigation, development of process safety management systems used during planning and design, and preparation of a safety case for submittal to the Australian government.
Worked on this project for nearly three years. The main part of the scope was the development of the Design and Operation’s Safety Case for the plant, including all the associated analytical studies. This included demonstrating to the Australian government that risks had been reduced to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).
- Petrohawk Energy/BHPBilliton Petroleum, Eagle Ford Shale, HSE Management System Development and Risk Assessments, Texas, USA - 2010
Development of safety management systems and various risk assessments to deliver a prioritized list of safety and environmental risks.
Of particular concern were fire and explosion risks together with road transport - personnel to and from the site and of product.
- Woodside Browse Project, Safety Case and ALARP Studies, Western Australia - 2008 to 2010
Woodside was designing and building facilities to produce LNG from a plant in northern Western Australia.
The main part of the scope was to develop the Design and Operations Safety Cases for the floating production facilities accommodating the dry tree units (DTUs), including all the supporting analytical studies.
- Seadrill – Global HSE Case Development and Implementation – 80+ HSE Cases, Global - 2010 to 2012
Seadrill is one of the leading deepwater drilling companies in the world. This project, requiring the development and deployment of over 80 safety cases via a web-based system iSafetyCase, started in mid-2007 and was still ongoing in 2015. iSafetyCase reduces the maintenance burden to keep safety cases updated and deployed to the worksite. It also reduces the time to develop a new safety case substantially – estimated upwards of 50% cost reduction.
- Chevron, Wheatstone Liquefied Natural Gas Project, Western Australia – 2010 to 2012
The Wheatstone LNG project, off the west coast of Western Australia, was one of the world’s largest major capital projects. Chevron and Bechtel required a range of risk management services to assist with obtaining necessary approvals from the Australian government (NOPSEMA). In particular:
- provide an overview to the project management team of the Australian regulatory regime relating to safety, risk and associated land use; and
- develop a very detailed QRA model, including fire and explosion modeling of LNG incidents
This project lasted over a year and resulted in a very detailed understanding of project risk drivers and changes to design that have improved inherent safety and reduced costs.
- Catastrophic Hazard Management and Emergency Preparedness
Over 38 years of experience in assessing and improving safety at many types of major hazard facilities and operations, including underground mining; offshore and onshore oil, gas, and LNG facilities; shipping; pipelines; and gas and electric utilities. Activities included the development of emergency response strategies, plans, facilities and training.
From the fundamentals of hazard identification and assessment, and risk quantification, through decision making and ALARP demonstration, HSEC management system development, to emergency preparedness/response, has been intimately involved with all aspects of major accident risk management for major corporations.
- Glencore HSEC Assurance and Verification Assessment, Catastrophic Risks - March 2019 to Present
As part of Glencore’s catastrophic risk management assurance program, joined a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) that visit mines around the world to assess whether they are adequately managing catastrophic risks. Addresses emergency preparedness/response and fire and explosion risks.
The work involves site surveys, interviews, review of large amounts of documentation, analysis, presentation to senior mine and corporate management, and report writing. Important aspects of the emergency preparedness analyses are the identification of a representative set of major emergencies (catastrophic events) against which to assess the emergency response strategies and associated plans, facilities and equipment, manpower, training and drills.
- PG&E Subject Matter Expert US Federal Court Appointed Monitorship Team – April 2017 to January 2022
This is a five-year engagement, one of a very small group of subject matter experts assisting Kirkland and Ellis in their court-appointed monitorship of PG&E. Involved in several areas of investigation including quantitative risk modeling, process safety, the organizational structure at PG&E, management systems, eg asset management, process safety, and general safety management, Board of Directors reporting, process safety design, and management of change.
His scope has recently expanded to include the electric line of business in addition to the enterprise and the gas line of business.
- Samarco Fundao Dam Incident Risk Management (Confidential Client) - 2016
Worked with a Kirkland and Ellis equity partner to develop an approach for one of their clients (Confidential) to help assure dams in other operations were being managed appropriately. There were three main parts to the work: 1. Understanding the HSEC risk management failures associated with the Fundao Dam disaster; 2. Could these failures be a problem elsewhere; 3. What should the Client do about it?
The approach looked at HSEC management systems and safety and environmental critical elements.
- Minara Resources Pty Ltd (previously Anaconda Nickel Ltd), Western Australia - 2002
Risk assessment studies had shown there to be serious concerns with certain hazardous materials at the Murrin Murrin nickel-cobalt mine and the potential for explosions in confined areas.
Scope included detailed site surveys, interviews with employees, estimates of explosion overpressures and, identification and assessment of mitigation measures. Presentations were periodically made to site management.
Membership and Professional Activities
Chartered Professional Engineer, Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
- Five pitfalls of API RP 1173 implementation, AGA SMS Workshop, San Diego, February 2018
- Burch M. “MODU safety case - four practical elements to add value and improve safety.” IADC Drilling HSE Asia Pacific 2011 Conference & Exhibition, March 23, 2011.
- Burch M., Goddard J. “Rapid risk ranking to optimise field development options and achieve ALARP.” Society of Petroleum Engineers, Journal of Petroleum Technology, 1998.
- Many aspects of safety and risk management – theory and practice
- Testifying expert for all three phases of the Deepwater Horizon trial
- Risk, safety, and environment management systems - development, implementation, training, and audit
- Enterprise risk management
- Development and implementation of risk management software
- Member of US Federal court-appointed monitor team to oversee risk and safety at PG&E
- Quantitative and qualitative risk analysis, assessment, and management. Particular emphasis on decision making including the allocation and apportionment of resources.
- Catastrophic risk and safety auditing
- Major incident risk management
- Liaison with Chinese, Australian, United States, and British government regulators
